Dearest
by SayukiChoco
Summary: Basch and Penelo are discovering feelings for each other, but how are they going to handle them? First chapter is up, Penelo's POV.


**Chapter 1: Realization**

Finally I had the time to post this story up! I really like it, a big thank you to my Beta lunaschild who was helping me along with grammar and word choice. ^^

Happy reading!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own FFXII or its characters.

Chapter 1 - Realization

It was a rainy day on the Ozmone Plains.

Penelo was tired. She understood Ashe's eagerness to reach Jahara as fast as possible, but couldn't they stop just for a little while? This pace was barely Hume and the rain certainly didn't help.

'I guess at least it washes away some of the fiend's blood,' she thought.

Then, the thunder started.

"Perhaps we should consider looking for shelter. I'd rather not become a lightning rod." She heard Balthier's familiar voice.

Ashe gave a grimace. "I cannot help Dalmasca if I am hiding from some minor storm!"

"I am well aware, princess, but by the sound of it, the storm is anything but minor. You'd do your kingdom little good once you're struck by lightning."

Ashe sighed and gave in.

Penelo was relieved. She liked Ashe, even if she was a bit too tense at times. She might be a princess, but she cared for her people and for her homeland. Penelo could relate to this. After the war, she had lost faith in anything that carried a royal title, but meeting Dalmasca's princess began to restore her hope. Maybe there was a chance that Rabanastre would go back to how it use to be; like when her parents were still alive.

Some feet away, a huge rock formation made itself at home on the plains. It was riddled with cracks and small holes and had the promise of shelter. The party made their way to it and found a decent size crevice. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a small cave. It was very narrow and dark, but at least it was dry.

"I suppose it is better than nothing," Balthier said.

Penelo sat herself down next to Ashe, or at least she thought it was Ashe. It was hard to tell in the dark.

"It is narrow is it not?" Basch asked from outside.

"It is, but it's dry," Balthier shouted. "I hadn't pictured you as one to be afraid of small spaces."

Penelo heard Basch grunt and felt his arm brush against hers as he sat down beside her.

"Are you afraid of narrow places?" she asked him curiously.

"Nay," he answered seriously. "'Tis because I am too close to unscrupulous sky-pirates and my sight is hindered."

Penelo giggled. Basch rarely smiled so hearing him make a joke was a welcome change. At least she thought he was joking.

"I do have ears, captain," Balthier drawled indignantly.

Basch grunted. "I sit barely two feet away. I should hope your hearing was not so poor."

Penelo giggled even more and the others joined in.

After their laughter died down, the silence seemed to stretch. Penelo was happy though. The mood seemed a bit lighter and left everyone a little less tense.

The thunderstorm did not calm though. The thunder was a loud roar that she had never heard before and she was feeling rather lucky that shelter had been found.

She really wasn't afraid of many things, but thunderstorms were rare in the desert and this one was loud. It was so loud it seemed to herald the end of the world. She was cold, wet, and now shaking.

An arm suddenly wrapped itself about her shoulders.

"Fear not, the Ozmone Plains are known for their powerful storms. They are fierce, but quick. It shall end soon," Basch said quietly.

Penelo nodded, but realized he wouldn't be able to see her in the dark. "Yes," she answered.

The warmth and comfort his arm brought made her grateful, but her heart began to pound harder. He was close, really close, to her now. She wasn't use to being so close to a man. Vaan might look like a man, but he still asked questions like a five year old and besides, he was only her friend.

Penelo could feel the heat on her face. She did like Basch. He was handsome, brave, and everything a girl could ask for in a guy. She'd be a fool if she didn't like Basch. But his arm around her shoulder was making her self-conscious and it made her shudder even more. Basch must have thought she was still scared though, because he pulled her into his side.

'I'm just glad it's dark in here,' she thought as her face burned even more.

And just when she thought her face was going to burn completely off, the thunderstorm stopped. She heard Vaan groan as he made his way out of the cave. The sunlight was streaming into the crevice, so it must have been bright.

Penelo was hoping that no one would notice how red her face was. She crawled out of the cave and quickly made to follow Ashe. The princess had wasted no time in resuming the trek to Jahara.

"Penelo are you sick or something?" Vaan asked from beside her. "Your whole face is red."

"Thanks Vaan," she muttered darkly as everyone turned to inspect her.

She made a point to pick up her pace and even managed to pass Ashe.

"What'd I do now?" Vaan called after her and hurried to catch up.

Penelo was reflecting as they took a break from their trek up Mt Bur Omisace. Balthier's earlier comment about refugee's walking barefoot through the snow seemed to be affecting everyone's mood and not for the best.

Penelo's thoughts revolved around a certain raven haired young lord. She had a strange feeling that Larsa was taking a bigger interest in her than she preferred. He seemed to constantly need to talk to her about nothing and he seemed very unhappy whenever she talked with someone else instead of him. She gave a sigh. She did like Larsa. He was a great friend, but she was silently praying to the powers that be, to please let the boy know her heart was a hopeless cause.

Penelo watched Ashe stand up. "Let us go," she stated and the others moved to follow her.

Penelo stared in disbelief and would have protested, but Vaan beat her to it.

"You wanna leave already? We barely had time to catch our breath," he stated incredulously.

Ashe glared at him. "Don't interrupt me, Vaan," she answered sternly and walked off.

Vaan's mouth gaped. "When did I interrupt her?" he muttered, following her and shaking his head.

Penelo giggled. Well, it served him right. Even if she did want to rest a bit longer, she had been searching for a way to get back at him after he alerted the world to her red face on the Plains. This was the perfect payback and she didn't have to do a thing.

She got lost in thought again. She was still trying to wrap her head around Larsa's odd behavior towards her. That led her to thoughts of Basch. Her mind seemed to wander frequently to thoughts of him these days. She was so engrossed; she had forgotten that the ground she was walking on was more slippery than usual.

She slipped. She had prepared herself mentally for the bounce, but was caught by two strong arms before she hit. She looked up and her breath caught in her throat. Basch was gazing down at her, directly into her eyes. He had such unbelievably beautiful eyes.

Basch broke their eye contact and cleared his throat.

"Are you hurt?" he asked as he helped her to stand up.

"I'm fine. Thank you," she breathed, starting at her feet.

She knew her face was going to be red again. Thankfully no one seemed to notice. Well no one except Balthier and he was intent on letting her know how clumsy she had been.

"Penelo do watch out. I should hate to see you tumble all the way back down the mountain."

Penelo sighed loudly and looked over at Basch. And as if he understood her completely, he walked over to Balthier and attempted to engage the sky pirate into a conversation and away from tormenting her.

"Balthier, have you ever met the Grand Kilteas?" Basch asked, feigning an interest in the brunette's opinion.

The ploy had worked and Penelo was grateful. She caught up with Vaan and Larsa. The young boy wasted no time drawing her into an immediate conversation. He explained everything she could have ever needed to know about the Grand Kilteas and Mt Bur Omisace.

"Penelo do be careful. The captain isn't there to catch you if you should slip again," Balthier shouted.

The man was intent on teasing her. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts turn towards pushing him down the mountain. Then, just maybe, the tormenting would stop.

She had loved the Paramina Rift with all its white snow, but she was use to the desert. And as she sat on the white sand and admired the gentle breeze, she couldn't deny the scene was far more welcoming. She always loved the warmth, but there something here that the desert lacked. Here there was water in abundance. The PhonCoast was beautiful.

Penelo relaxed as Vaan and the others busied themselves by buying new weapons and searching for a back way into Archades. She didn't get the chance to be alone very often. And sitting under a tree on the most beautiful beach she had ever seen was something she wanted to enjoy. She knew she'd probably never come back here once this was all over.

Suddenly, Penelo found herself covered by a dark shadow. She looked up and saw Basch looking down at her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. "You have been sitting there a while, just staring into the distance."

Had it been anyone other than Basch, Penelo would have been angry at the interruption. But this was Basch and he always made her feel more at peace, safer, and more self-conscious. She could feel the familiar flutter of butterflies in her tummy and though she had grown used to the feelings he seemed to bring out in her, she didn't know what to do about them.

"I'm fine," she answered lightly. "I was just enjoying the beach. It's beautiful and I know I probably won't be back here again."

She trusted him so she had no trouble offering him the truth of her thoughts. 'Well maybe not _all_ thoughts,' she thought and smiled. Telling him about the way he made her feel didn't seem to be the greatest idea. Especially when she wasn't sure what it was she was feeling and the last thing he needed to be bothered with was that.

Basch took a step towards her lithe, sitting frame. As the distance between them closed, his hand touched her shoulder. He jerked it away quickly and she gave him a puzzled look. It must have been unintentional, because he backed away again.

She studied him, noticing the expression on his face. He was trying to look anywhere but at her and not be obvious, but he was failing. The way his lips formed a frown made her think he might be sad, but she noticed the faint coloring on his cheeks. He was embarrassed.

Penelo grinned as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree. Perhaps she wasn't as alone in her feelings as she thought and just maybe, fate had something more planned for her than what she already believed.

Penelo was in shock. Reddas had died and it unnerved her. He saved everyone because of what he believed in, but died in the process. It was hard to swallow.

Everything seemed to just be rushing at her now. Balthier's father and his mad experiments, Basch's twisted twin brother, and the fact that Reddas was the one who helped destroy Nabudis. If the Occuria really were their Gods, how could Ivalice still manage to exist?

All of Balfonheim seemed to be in the same state of despair. The tavern atmosphere was bleak and everyone was too busy with their own thoughts to notice them. Balthier and Fran sat in silence in a corner with Vaan. He was visibly upset, but Penelo couldn't bring herself to comfort him right now. As she sat in a chair staring out the window, she was lost in her own thoughts. Her gaze fixed on the direction of the Ridorana. She could only see the sea now, but that was where Reddas just died.

"He knew his course of action. Reddas was an honorable man, he would not have wanted us to be distraught by his death," Basch said as he sat down next to her.

"I know," Penelo answered him. Then she added reluctantly: "It's not just because of Reddas. Everything today…Dr. Cid's plans and just knowing Vayne will try to destroy Rabanastre soon."

Penelo continued to stare out the window.

"Only more people will die, it's so senseless," she whispered.

"The Strahl is almost ready. Balthier just talked to one of the Moogles who are readying it. We shall bring this sufferance to an end so that none shall be harmed again," Basch said.

He seemed to be talking more to himself rather than her. She turned her head to look at him. It was not so long ago that she sat on the beach of the PhonCoast and wondered what fate had in store for her. Morbidly she hoped it was something far happier than death.

"I hope you're right," she said, standing and looking at Vaan. "I think Vaan needs me."

Basch gave her a smile and stood up. He pulled her into an embrace and she closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. The little spark of hope began to grow again and somehow she knew that everything could turn out alright one day. Basch must have somehow sensed the change too.

"That's the Penelo I know," he said and released her.

She watched him as he walked over to Ashe. She was sitting alone with a very unhappy expression on her face. Penelo wondered if maybe Basch had a place in her future. It was a warm, pleasant feeling. But as she watched him stand stoically silent behind Ashe, she had a feeling that she might have to help that particular path of destiny along.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! Any kind of criticism is very appreciated.^^

**I won't continue this story anymore. I'm sorry everyone….**


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